


Happily Ever After (Rewrite)

by Snugglebuttkitten



Series: Akumanette [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alya Césaire Bashing, Comedic angst, Endgame Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Episode Fix-It: s03 Caméléon | Chameleon, Gen, Lila Rossi Bashing, Lila Rossi Lies, Lila Rossi's Lies Are Exposed, Rated for language and mild violence and minor sin, Rewrite, Saltinette, Ship change, akumanette, class salt, salt fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-16 21:55:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29582700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snugglebuttkitten/pseuds/Snugglebuttkitten
Summary: Marinette has been abandoned and tossed cruelly aside by her so-called friends in favor of the new girl, a compulsive liar named Lila! What would have happened if Hawkmoth had succeeded in akumatizing Marinette during the Chameleon Episode
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: Akumanette [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2173395
Comments: 42
Kudos: 160





	1. The Birth of Fairytale

**Author's Note:**

> Rewrite of my previous story. Main ship change. It starts Adrienette/MariChat but ends Lukanette
> 
> Pre Viperion
> 
> First few chapters will only have minor changes. Mostly grammar and spelling checks and alight alterations to fix it to where it will add Luka in lol

Marinette felt like she was suffocating. There was a lump in her throat that wouldn’t go away, and what felt like a pocket of air in her chest cavity that pressed heavy against her heart and lungs and made taking in air a hardship. To make matters worse, her brain throbbed painfully behind eyes that felt dry and itchy from her tears. If she had known how this day would have turned out, she would have stayed home from school. She wished she were home now, safe and warm in her cocoon of blankets with only Tikki and her beloved Cat body pillow for company. Instead, she was sitting in a grimy stall of the locker room bathroom, knees pulled tight against her chest atop the toilet and arms wrapped around them to hold them in place. She sniffled miserably and tried to figure out exactly where her day had gone wrong and what she might have changed to make it better. Now that she thought about it… things had been fine up until she had arrived at school that morning, early for once, and found the seats switched around… 

**Four Hours Earlier**

Marinette breathed a sigh of relief as she slid to a halt outside of Madame Bustier’s classroom, pausing to catch her breath as she spared a glance at her phone to check the time. Already at school and with three minutes to spare before the bell, no less. Considering her track record in the past year of being Ladybug, the fifteen-year-old student was sure that had to be some sort of record. Pleased with herself, Marinette entered the classroom and immediately paused as she noticed that something wasn’t quite right with the picture before her. It only took a moment for her to pinpoint exactly what had changed. The seats had been switched around! Most notably, her best friend Alya was now in  _ her _ seat, while Alya’s boyfriend Nino was in  _ Alya’s _ old seat and the spot next to Adrien, dreamboat supermodel and the current object of her affections, was most definitely empty. Marinette’s jaw dropped as a thrill of both excitement and nervousness raced up her spine.

So far, no one had noticed her entrance as they were too busy talking to their new tablemates, so the ravenette decided to take the opportunity to sneak around the room, going the long way so as not to draw the attention of Adrien. She finally made it to her friend’s side, only stumbling a little down the stairs, and leaned close to ask in an excited whisper, “How’d you pull this off Alya? You’re the best! I can’t believe you got everyone to swap seats so that I can sit next to Adrien!” She exclaimed, before pulling back and frowning as her overactive imagination began to run away with her. “Then again it might not be the best idea… It could keep me from paying attention in class, and if I failed it would be a total disaster because then Adrien and I would never have our own house… and three kids… and a hamster named-”

“Woah, girl, what are you talking about?” Alya interrupted, holding up a hand as if to physically stop the flow of word vomit falling from her best friend’s mouth. “You’re not sitting next to Adrien, your seat is over there,” she said with a concerned frown, twisting and nodding towards the vacant table in the very back of the room.

“At the back!? Why? What’s going on?” Marinette asked, eyes widening in shock and she planted her hands atop the tabletop and leaned closer to her friend. It was Nino who answered instead, sliding closer and leaning in to join their whispered conversation… which apparently wasn’t nearly as quiet as she had thought it was.

“Well, since she’s got a hearing issue, there’s no way she can sit at the back of the class, right? Which means that she needed a place up in the front,” he supplied. Alya immediately jumped in to add to Nino’s words, though it made Marinette no less confused as to who they were talking about.

“So to make it work, Ivan sat next to Mylene, Nate sat next to Alix… besides, she came up with the idea of moving Nino here, so now we get to spend more time together,” she said, the pair chuckling softly as they shared a look.

“Who is this  _ she _ ?” Marinette asked, still thoroughly confused, but before either answered, Madam Bustier entered the room.

“Good morning, students! I’m sure you’ve all heard by now, but Lila’s home from her trip to Achu and she’s back in school with us again,” the redheaded teacher explained, gesturing to the door. Right on cue, in walked Lila Rossi, and life as Marinette knew it suddenly changed drastically.

**Present Time**

Marinette couldn’t help the derisive scoff that escaped her at the thought of the Italian transfer student. She hadn’t liked Lila from the moment she had met her, that first day that she joined class right before the whole Volpina incident. Back then, Marinette had gotten this bad vibe off of the other girl, although part of it was likely more jealousy than anything else. Okay, back then it was at least  _ ninety _ percent jealousy. But herowork as Ladybug aside, Marinette was only human and it made sense that she might get a little prickly watching this strange new girl hang all over  _ her _ Adrien! Especially when the blonde boy had looked so uncomfortable the entire time! Naturally, it was up to Marinette to protect the sunshine child’s virtue by following them and ensuring Lila didn’t pull any funny business with her innocent smol bean.

That entire day, Lila had only cemented Marinette’s dislike and distrust of the girl. The way she had stolen Adrien’s book (granted Marinette ended up stealing it too but that was because Tikki had made her and it was for the good of humanity  _ and _ she had returned it to his father), the way she had lied to him about being best friends with Ladybug, the way she had used Adrien’s admiration for Ladybug to lure him to the park! All of these were bad enough but then! Then, she had to go and get Akumatized into Volpina and she almost made Marinette give up her Miraculous by making an illusion of Adrien and dangling him off the Eiffel Tower! The day had, thankfully, been resolved after she had purified the nasty little bug. Lila had disappeared and things had gone back to normal.

Until now; until today when Lila had shown back up. Like before, her classmates had immediately flocked around the Italian girl like preschoolers to a shiny new toy. They oohed and awed over her adventures in Achu with Prince Ali, they ate up her story about saving Jagged Stone’s ‘kitten’ on an airport runway and suffering Tinnitus as a result, and worst of all, when Marinette tried to dispute her claims, her friends had treated her like  _ she _ was the stranger. Like  _ she _ was the one who wasn’t to be trusted. It was as infuriating as it was hurtful. Most of her classmates, Marinette had known since Nursery school, the only exceptions being Adrien, Alya, and Lila. They knew her, had grown up with her. They knew the kind of person she was, or so she had thought. And it really hurt the way they had glared accusingly at her when all she was trying to do was protect them, the way she always did.  _ She _ was their class representative,  _ she _ was the one who bent over backwards to go out of her way and help her friends, make them feel special, to cheer them up and comfort them when they were down.  _ She _ was the one who remembered and brought treats for every birthday and every celebration, the one who was constantly making her friends gifts just because, the one who almost never refused a request from her classmates no matter how sleep deprived she was, how much work she had of her own to finish, or how exhausting juggling a double life could get.  _ She _ was the one they had called their everyday Ladybug (and no, the irony was not lost on her), and yet  _ she _ was the one being tossed aside and discarded for the upgraded model.

Marinette had eventually taken the seat in the back, unable to argue against Lila’s tinnitus lie without proof… even though Marinette had actually  _ met _ Jagged and designed an album cover for him and knew without a doubt that a  _ kitten _ would never be ‘rock n’ roll’ enough for the aging Rockstar. Her friends didn’t care about that; they had cast her out like yesterday’s trash and had continued treating her like some evil pariah throughout their morning classes until Marinette had decided once again to try and make her closest friends see reason. If she could just get Alya and Nino on her side, maybe things wouldn’t look so bleak and so when lunchtime rolled around, she had dragged her friends off to their own table when they would have flocked around Lila like the rest of their classmates… but her efforts had ended up being in vain.

  
  


**Forty-Five Minutes Earlier**

“That’s for you, Lila,” Sabrina’s voice drew Marinette’s gaze from the lunch line, causing the pigtailed girl to perk up as she eavesdropped on the conversation taking place a few paces ahead of her at a nearby table.

“Thank you, you’re so sweet,” Lila’s saccharine voice responded. 

“Here’s your appetizer, lila,” Max added eagerly.

“And I’ve got your main course,” Mylene said.

“I’ll fetch your dessert,” Kim offered, rising from where he was sitting at a table nearby. Lila affected an apologetic look that their classmates seemed to devour like starving men presented with a feast.

“I’m sorry I can’t carry my own tray,” she simpered, blinking doe-ishly up at the other students surrounding her. She held up one limp wrist, supported by her free hand to further sell the story. “It’s almost impossible with this sprained wrist.”

Marinette was momentarily distracted by Kim ducking into line with a muttered apology to grab Lila’s dessert before turning to her friends once more. With the others completely taken in by Lila’s lies, not was her chance to get through to Nino and Alya. If she could convince her closest friends, then perhaps the others would follow suit in listening to one of their oldest friends and biggest supporters.

“Lila’s totally lying. She made up that whole tinnitus thing just so she could sit next to Adrien and her sprained wrist is completely bogus too,” she hissed irritably, turning hard blue eyes upon her best friend. Alya blinked at her in surprise.

“I don’t get it, Marinette. You barely know Lila. Why all the hate?” She asked as Nino began walking off towards Lila and the others. Marinette sighed.

“Fine, I’ll tell you everything,” she said solemnly, grabbing Alya and pulling her along with her. She grabbed Nino, too, redirecting his path to an empty table not far from where Lila and the others sat, but far enough away that their conversation could be kept under wraps as long as they were quiet about it. The trio took their seats before Marinette began. “You remember Lila when she first came to school right after summer break? She was only here for one day and then she left on that around the world trip? Everyone was captivated by her. Something just felt… off to me. So I-” she dropped her voice even lower and cupped a hand around her mouth as she continued, “-followed her.”

“What?” Alya and Nino spoke simultaneously in their disbelief. Marinette nodded and recounted the day she had first laid eyes on Lila, about following her and Adrien and the lies she had told to get the unsuspecting blonde alone in the park.

“She lies with every breath,” Marinette insists.

“Wait,” Nino interrupted, looking concerned, and for a moment Marinette thought she was finally getting through to him until the next words left his mouth. “You eavesdropped on Lila and Adrien? That’s not cool!”

“A good reporter always verifies her sources. Can you prove she doesn’t actually know Ladybug?” Alya asked. Marinette opened her mouth but stopped herself before she could say that yes, she  _ could _ prove it… because she  _ couldn’t. _ Not without admitting that she  _ was _ Ladybug and she couldn’t do that for obvious reasons. Then inspiration struck and she reached for the napkin beside her tray.

“Okay, you want proof she’s lying?” She demanded, balling the napkin up and turning towards the far more crowded table. “Hey, Lila, you forgot your napkin,” she called loudly, calling on her Ladybug skills to throw the napkin across the space between them. Lila reacted immediately, barely sparing the darker haired girl a look as she caught the napkin with her ‘injured’ wrist. Marinette immediately cheered triumphantly. “Aha! See that? It’s obvious she doesn’t have a sprained wrist,” she pointed out. Their classmates gasped, all turning to look at Lila in disbelief and confusion, and for a moment Marinette thought they would finally open their eyes and see reason. Now her friends would realize she was right and things would go back to normal! Lila looked between their classmates, seeming frozen for a moment, before dropping the napkin and clutching her wrist to her chest.

“Ow!” She wailed, earning a concerned gasp from the other students. “Once when I was in India, I witnessed someone getting their eye gouged out by the corner of a napkin. If I hadn’t caught it, this napkin could have injured Max. I didn’t have a choice.” she blinked innocently up at the others, throwing a few more pitiful ‘ows’ in for good measure.

“Lila, you saved my eye!” Max exclaimed, adjusting his glasses and blinking at the girl in astonishment and admiration. “You sacrificed yourself for me.”

“Why wouldn’t I, Max-”  _ Ouch! _ “-you’re my friend!”

“We’ll take you to the nurses office,” Sabrina added, smiling at Lila.

“Are you proud of yourself?” Mylene sneered, turning to glare at Marinette. Kim was quick to jump in.

“Lila’s in even more pain, now! All because of you!”

“No, no,” Lila protested. “Don’t blame Marinette, she was just trying to give me a napkin! Right, Marinette?” The smile Lila flashed her was sickly sweet. Marinette blinked before growling wordlessly and storming off.

  
  


**Present Time**

It wasn’t right. The way her so-called friends ate up everything the blonde had to say. Especially Alya. Alya who had asked Marinette, her  _ best friend _ , to cite her sources but had no trouble taking Lila at her word. Alya who  _ knew _ Marinette wasn’t the type to give into petty jealousy, and yet who was accusing her of jealousy nonetheless. Hadn’t she just suffered through a double date with Adrien and Kagami, all for the sake of putting her friendship with Adrien before her feelings? She had been willing to step back then, if it made Adrien happy. This wasn’t jealousy! This was protectiveness over her friend. This was her distaste for liars shining through, because Lila was undoubtedly the worst liar she knew and it made Marinette so angry that her friends were so willing to side with a practical stranger over the girl they had been using and abusing for years.

They didn’t see Lila for the snake that she was and Marinette was genuinely at a loss of how to prove herself to her friends. And on that note, why did  _ she _ have to prove herself at all!? She wasn’t the one being a bad friend. They were. She was trying to help and all they seemed capable of doing was treating her like an outcast, a pariah. Did her friendship mean so little to them? Did  _ she _ mean so little to them? Now that she thought about it, when had her classmates ever done  _ anything _ to show they cared? Marinette had always been the generous type. Growing up the daughter of two bakers, it had all started when she first entered preschool and brought treats from the bakery to share with all of her new classmates. That eventually evolved into her just bringing random treats from time to time to show her appreciation of her classmates and teachers, and eventually led to them being her family bakeries’ honorary taste testers. And then Marinette had discovered a passion for fashion when she was eight. She and her parents had probably spent a small fortune on materials over the last seven years, from yarn to yards of fabric, to sewing machines, repairs, pins, dress mannequins and the like… and most of what Marinette made ended up going to her friends, her classmates, free of charge. Because that was the kind of friend that Marinette was. She gave freely and asked for nothing in return.

Until now, when all she asked was that her friends trust and believe in her… and they couldn’t even do that much. No, now that she thought about it, her classmates had always taken advantage of her. Until Alya, she had never been really close with any of them. She was just the quiet girl in the second row who took the brunt of Chloe’s bullying and who gave her all to her classmates without asking for anything in return. They didn’t value  _ her _ . They valued what she could do for them. The suffocating feeling was back, only this time it was ten times worse and accompanied by a weight that settled heavy in her gut and wouldn’t leave. She felt sick and her skin felt too tight and hot and her tears were flowing freely again, wet and heavy down her pale cheeks.  _ Why _ wasn’t she good enough? What did she have to do to make her friends stop taking her for granted? How could she prove to them that Lila wasn’t who she said she was? How could she prove to them that she was a liar and a bully, who threatened those who defied them in school bathrooms away from prying eyes?

  
  


**Fifteen Minutes Earlier**

Marinette let out another frustrated growl as she glared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Distantly, she was aware she needed to calm herself because volatile emotions were dangerous with Hawkmoth still about, but before she could, the door swung open and she turned to find Lila standing there. Hands clasped over her chest, Lila smiled sweetly at the other girl. “Marinette?” She said, before her eyes widened and she was suddenly approaching the shorter girl. “Oh! Are you crying?”

Momentarily derailed, Marinette mentally shook herself and frowned at the other girl, her voice coming out sharp and unfriendly. “No, I’m not!” Her tone caused the brown-haired girl to stop short, expression shifting into one of insecurity and vulnerability that Marinette didn’t buy for an instant.

“I can sense that you don’t like me,” she said, turning partially away and curling in on herself. “But… I don’t understand why. We barely know each other.” It was a good act, even Marinette could admit that much, but she also knew the conniving fox that lay beneath the surface and she wasn’t buying Lila’s act even for a second. “Don’t tell me it’s because of this new seating arrangement in class?”

Marinette huffed and turned away. “It is,” Lila exclaimed. “You’re jealous because I’m sitting next to Adrien, because you would have given anything to sit there yourself,” she guessed, olive green eyes wide with understanding as she turned back to face Marinette. Suddenly her smile shifted into a conspiratorial one, as if they were best friends. “You know what? It’s not worth fighting over a boy. You and I can be friends and who knows, I might even be able to help you with Adrien!”

“You and I will only be friends the day you stop lying, Lila,” Marinette shot back, crossing her arms and glaring at the taller girl. Lila gasped, hands flying up before her mouth, but Marinette wasn’t done and pointed a finger at the other girl’s chest as she started to advance. “I can’t prove it, but I know for a fact you don’t have tinnitus, that your wrist is just fine, that you don’t know Prince Ali because you’ve never even set foot in Achu, and despite what you got Alya to write on her LadyBlog, Ladybug has  _ never  _ saved your life!” She finished with a scowl.

Like a flip being switched, Lila dropped her act and suddenly straightened up with a sly smile. “I only tell people what they wanna hear.”

“It’s  _ called _ lying!” Marinette insisted.

“There’s nothing you can do about it anyway,” Lila scoffed, crossing her arms and smirking at Marinette. Suddenly, it was Lila advancing and Marinette being backed into a corner, and the whole time the brunette wore a look of supreme confidence that immediately unnerved the ravenette. “People can’t resist when they hear what they like to hear. And if you don’t wanna be my friend, fine, but soon you won’t have  _ any _ friends left at all. And trust me, I’ll make sure you never get close to Adrien in class or anywhere,” she threatened. Marinette’s back hit the whitewash cinder block wall and Lila immediately used her arms to cage the smaller girl in. “You seem a little less dumb than the others, so I’ll give you one more chance. You’re either  _ with me _ or  _ against me _ . You don’t have to answer right away. I’ll give you until the end of class today.” With a flip of her hair, Lila stormed off and Marinette hurried into a bathroom stall and slammed the door behind her.

  
  


**Present Time**

“I thought Chloe was evil, but Lila really takes the whole cake!” She growled as Tikki zipped out of her purse. “She’s like a supervillain who doesn’t even need a costume.”

“You mustn’t let her get to you, Marinette,” Tikki said, prompting her wielder to lift her gaze to the tiny Goddess.

“If I don’t manage to exploit her lies she’ll ruin my life, Tikki! She’ll turn my friends against me, including Adrien!” Another wordless growl of frustration escaped her as she slammed her fist against the stall wall. Why was this so hard? She did everything for her friends and the moment someone new came along, they abandoned her. Anger was suddenly replaced with hurt and grief and the fifteen-year-old curled in on herself, her tears renewed until Tikki’s voice cut through her sobs.

“Marinette, look out!”

Marinette lifted her head and practically leaped off the toilet in alarm as the little black and purple butterfly phased through the stall door and began fluttering towards her. “Ah! An Akuma!” She yelped.

“You can resist it, Marinette! Hawkmoth’s power only works on people who think there’s no solution to their problems,” Tikki exclaimed as Marinette pushed further back against the back wall of the bathroom stall and further away from the Akuma. Marinette tried to listen to Tikki; she really did. But then she remembered the glares her classmates had shot her; the disappointment and disgust on their faces and the way they had sided with a complete stranger over her. She remembered Lila’s threats, and how this whole situation simultaneously angered, hurt, and saddened her and suddenly the fight left her in a rush. Reaching up, she removed her earrings and held them out towards her Kwami.

“Tikki, you have to take the earrings and run. Find Chat Noir and tell him what happened,” she whispered. Tikki opened her mouth to protest but Marinette shook her head violently and glared at the Kwami. “ _ Now _ , Tikki! Before it’s too late!” The red and black-spotted Kwami waited only a nanosecond more before swooping in to grab the earrings and flee the bathroom, just as the Akuma touched down on the girl’s left hair ribbon and her body seized like some invisible force was holding her in place. And then, Hawkmoth’s voice filled her head and it was all she could do to focus on his mesmerizing words.

“Hello, Fairytale. You have been betrayed and discarded by your friends in favor of a compulsive liar. I can give you the power to rewrite the story your own way, and all I ask for in return are the Ladybug Earrings and the Ring of the Black Cat. Do we have a deal?” The young student smiled as her civilian identity melted away in a cloud of dark magic to be replaced by her new identity. Fairytale gaze gleamed with savage delight as she responded to the man in her head with two simple words.

“Yes, Hawkmoth.”


	2. A Chance Encounter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You get early chapters, yay! One of the puppies scheduled for my puppy play and training sesh bailed and they were the one set to arrive early and stay all day so I am free until 1pm. So I am going to try and rapid fire the next two chapter edits out before then if I can. No promises but the first 4 chapters only require minor edits. The rest is being completely rewritten and will take longer to post

Fairytale stepped out of the bathroom stall and crossed the room to the bank of sinks and mirrors against one wall. The person staring back at her seemed at once familiar and foreign. She kind of resembled a mash-up of different fairytales, which made sense when she thought about it. She was wearing an ‘Alice in Wonderland’ style dress, dark blue and knee-length with capped, ruffled sleeves and a black frilly apron. In the center of the apron, there is a broken red heart with a golden crown perched above the left half of the heart. Her stockings are black and gray striped, with sparkly red shoes more reminiscent of Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. Her hair is still in pigtails, but they’re longer and sharper like spikes, the ribbons in her hair extending and crisscrossing the black locks in the way that ballet shoes are tied up. A blood red cloak is clasped at her throat like the one Little Red Riding Hood wears, the hood pooling around slim shoulders. Black elbow-length gloves adorn her arms, a gold and ruby bracelet on her left wrist, and black and red fairy wings extend from her back. In her left hand, Fairytale has a gilded gold scepter with a ruby colored orb on top and beneath that, two small golden wings that extend from the main staff.

Finished examining her new outfit, her gaze moves on to the changes her transformation made to her own appearance. As Marinette, she has always been fair skinned but now her skin was as white as now, her lips ruby red, and her hair was an even deeper black than it used to be, the blue sheen more of a dark indigo now. Her face seems sharper, more angular than it had been as Marinette, but the most drastic change was her eyes. Gone were the ocean blue pools she was so well-known for. Instead, her eyes were as red as blood and her pupils were narrow slits, like snake eyes. She opened her mouth, half expecting fangs and a forked tongue, but no. Her teeth and tongue looked perfectly normal. The designer in her wished to dwell longer in the bathroom and further inspect the outfit, but the urge to find Lila was even stronger. Lila needed to pay for what she had done to weak, sensitive Marinette, and Fairytale was the one who was going to exact her revenge.

  
  
  


Adrien sighed with relief as he finally returned to school after yet another uncomfortable meal alone in the enormous mansion dining room. He had decided to head back a little early, eager to spend a few extra minutes with his friends. A rare luxury considering the tight leash his father kept on him. He just needed to drop his bag off in his locker first, having no desire to smell Plagg’s stinky cheese while he was sitting with his friends in the cafeteria. The Kwami’s obsession only seemed to be getting worse and it was becoming near impossible to escape the stench of camembert cheese these days. He wasn’t expecting anyone to be in the locker room, figuring everyone would still be eating, so he was a bit surprised to nearly run into Lila upon entering.

“Hey, Lila,” he greeted, brushing her presence off and immediately turning towards the side of the room that housed his locker. There was a beat of silence before Lila responded, apparently as surprised as he was to see anyone else in the locker room.

“Adrien! We’ll have to figure out when you’re going to help me catch up on all the school work I missed,” she said, catching up as he stopped and turned towards her. Her expression turned flirtatious at her next words and Adrien was distinctly uncomfortable with the way she dragged a finger down his chest, though he was too polite to say as much. “I also heard you play piano. My Uncle is a great pianist. He wanted to teach me when I was little, but I had to stop playing because of arthritis.”

Adrien was frowning slightly now, watching as she clutched her wrist to her chest and feigned a look of sadness before perking up again. “But when my wrist gets better, I’d love for you to give me some lessons,” she said. Adrien shifted uncomfortably, not wanting to hurt her feelings but also not wanting to be lied to.He knew he had to try reasoning with her.

“Lila,” he began hesitantly, “I’m perfectly happy being friends with you, and I’ll gladly help you catch up on your schoolwork. But… please don’t lie to me like you did last time with Ladybug,” he requested politely. Lila gasped, looking thoroughly affronted at his accusations.

“Ladybug’s the liar,” she growled, eyes narrowing and expression hardening.

“I’m not judging you, Lila,” Adrien was quick to try and appease the rapidly angering girl, not that it seemed to do much good. He decided to keep trying. “But instead of making friends, you’re going to end up turning everyone against you,” he said logically, sweeping an arm out to encompass the school as a whole. “You can tell me if there’s something bothering you,” he offered with a kind smile. “I can help, but you need to be honest with me.”

“Are you trying to be some superhero, lecturing me just like Ladybug did?” Lila sneered, clearly not as receptive to his advice as he had hoped she might be. “Well thanks, but no thanks. Ugh!” Spinning, Lila stalked away, the door slamming shut behind her.

“I’m still here if you need help catching up with your schoolwork,” Adrien called after her, rolling his eyes slightly before turning away. He didn’t get two steps before the door to the bathroom suddenly blew off its hinges, forcing the boy to dive for cover or be pelted by rubble. It was fortunate being Chat Noir had granted him rather cat-like reflexes even as a Civilian. Coughing hoarsely in the suddenly dust-filled locker room, Adrien peeked around the corner and yelped, falling back in surprise as he came face to face with an Akuma. He blinked up at her owlishly, momentarily unsure what to do. After all, he was alone and in his Civilian form… there wasn’t much he  _ could _ do. The Akuma seemed as surprised to see him as he was to see her, the vacant look in her eyes shifting as her eyes widened.

“You’re not Lila,” she said, blinking her eerie red snake eyes at him and cocking her head. She seemed almost perplexed by his presence in the locker room.

“N-no, I’m not,” he said nervously, not wanting to risk setting her off. If the Akuma attacked him now, he ran the risk of being turned into some sort of brainless zombie and fighting Ladybug. Or getting temporarily zapped out of existence, or really who knows what else. He had no clue what her powers were. The ones where he was out of commission and couldn’t help his partner were always his least favorite fights and he would rather avoid any of the aforementioned scenarios. Luckily, the Akuma didn’t seem overly aggressive in that moment. She was just crouching there by the edge of the lockers, looking at him in a sort of confused, lost puppy kind of way. If he played his cards right, perhaps she would leave him be.

“Did you see where she went?” The Akuma asked with a weary sigh, finally rising from her crouch and shifting her red gaze impatiently around the room. She crossed her arms, a petulant frown crossing her face, and that's when Adrien noticed the scepter. Was the Akuma in there? It was a logical possibility but he would need to wait until Ladybug joined him before finding out. He couldn’t risk letting the Akuma loose in the city. The return of her red gaze to his face suddenly made the blond realize he had failed to answer her and she was growing impatient. As much as he wanted to point her gaze in a direction that wasn’t towards him, he also didn’t want to endanger Lila so he shook his head.

“No, sorry. I haven’t seen her,” he lied. The Akuma’s eyes narrowed to slits and suddenly she prowled closer, gloved fingers tightening around the scepter’s staff. He swallowed hard as she loomed over him, seeming to search his very soul for the answers she sought.

“Are you lying to me, Adrien?” She asked, her voice becoming several degrees colder. Adrien shook his head rapidly and, after searching his gaze for another moment, she finally backed off with a satisfied nod. “Good. I can’t very well have you be the Prince of my story if you’re a liar like Lila,” she murmured, nose wrinkling. Adrien frowned in confusion. Prince? Story? What on earth was she talking about and what did Lila have to do with all of this?

“Who are you?” He blurted out suddenly as the Akuma turned away, no longer interested in him. He should have let her go and simply transformed but the mention of his name had Adrien burning with curiosity. He had been in class that morning; he had seen their classmates reaction to Lila. They had all been completely enraptured with her. Had someone else in their class found out her lies and been akumatized because of them? Or did someone from another class have some vendetta against the brunette? Was the Akuma even a student? Adrien supposed his face was well-known throughout Europe so it was possible, but he doubted it. Whoever Lila had pissed off had to be within the school. A student or faculty member. Knowing who she was might aide in taking her down. Plus cats and curiosity often went hand in hand.

The Akuma paused and tilted her head back to blink at him over her shoulder. At least she didn’t seem annoyed by his inquiry; appearing to be more bored than anything else. “I am Fairytale, the greatest Storyteller in the lands,” she said imperiously, “and Lila will pay for her crimes against me.”

"Who  _ were _ you," he amended when she failed to answer his real question.

“Someone weak and pathetic, someone who could not stand up for herself in the face of adversary. Who I was matters not now; it’s who I have become who will reign supreme and prove my worth in the sea of mediocrity that surrounds me,” she sneered. Adrien blinked, startled, because that really hadn’t answered his question like… at  _ all _ … but Fairytale had already lost interest in him and with a flutter of her wings and a wave of her scepter, she was floating through the remains of the locker room doors, off to find Lila and exact her revenge, whatever it might be.

“Thank Camembert she’s gone,” Plagg’s nasally voice broke the boy from his stupor and he blinked out of his gaze to look down at where the Kwami was poking his head out of his book bag. The normally lazy and uninterested cat-like creature looked oddly distressed as he looked at the space the Akuma had disappeared before finally lifting acid green eyes up to his Chosen. “You’re gonna want to transform and get out there quick, kid. Something tells me this is gonna be one of the toughest Akumas you’ve yet to face.”

“What makes you say that?” Adrien asked, but Plagg just shook his head grimly.

“Nevermind that, transform before that thing finds Lila!” The Kwami hissed. Adrien wanted to protest and insist Plagg explain himself, but for once the Kwami was right. Lila couldn’t have gotten far and just because the Akuma hadn’t shown aggression towards him, that didn’t mean she wouldn’t try to harm Lila. He had to hurry and get the brunette out of harm's way before it was too late!

“Alright. Plagg, Claws Out!”


	3. Once Upon A Fairytale

Fairytale floated through the newly demolished entrance of the locker room and paused to look around. Lunch was still going on, so the hall was mostly empty. Only a few stragglers loitered in the upper hall and they were all frozen in terror as they blinked owlishly at the newest Akuma Victim. The Akuma allowed her gaze to flit over them boredly, swiftly confirming that none of them were her target before smiling sweetly and beckoning them closer. The students shared a nervous look and edged away from her instead. This annoyed Fairytale greatly, and with a huff and a roll of her eyes she drifted up to the nearest student. The boy remained frozen in place, eyes widened in terror as he stared up at her floating form. She shushed him in a soothing manner, the gentle smile returning.

“Relax, my pet. I will not harm you. I am simply in need of an army. Would you be so kind as to be a member of my guard?” She cooed, her gloved fingers stroking his face gently. The boy stared into her eyes, mesmerized as her red irises seemed to glow brighter and brighter. His own eyes widened marginally before the light and intelligence seemed to fade from his gaze and he could only stare ahead and nod dumbly in return. Beaming brightly, the Akuma bounced back and clapped her hands.

“Excellent,” she said, lifting her scepter. She settled the ruby orb over one of the boy’s shoulders as he fell into a kneel before her, his head bowed, before moving it to hover over his other shoulder. “I dub thee the Red Knight, Chief of my Army. Rise, my child, and go fetch me the fox with the silver tongue,” she commanded, voice losing some of it’s sweetness at the mention of her enemy. The transformation washed over the boy and when he rose, he was clad in a suit of shiny, blood red armor, complete with a sword. The man snapped to attention, saluting her.

“You can count on me, Lady Fairytale!” He intoned, spinning on his heel and striding down the hall. Fairytale watched him go with a serene smile before turning her eyes on the other students still standing around in horrified silence.

“Now then, who else wants to be in my army?” She purred, eyes once again beginning to glow.

  
  
  


Lila had to forcefully smooth out her facial features before returning to the cafeteria. This wasn’t her first rodeo, not by far. There was almost always one student who saw through her lies and normally it was easy to squash them like the bug they were. Rarely, however, were there two people who saw through her stories and never before had one of those people been the guy she had set her sights on. Lila liked to think that she knew how the male brain worked. Most males wanted a beautiful girl who was vulnerable and in need of rescuing. It was why she had perfected the damsel in distress act. Perhaps she had come on too strongly with her flirting? As far as she knew, Adrien Agreste was not dating anyone. At least, Nino and Alya hadn’t said he was and the boy didn’t seem to pay special attention to any one girl in particular. Even if he were dating someone, it would have only been a matter of time before Lila weaseled her way between them. She had done it before, she could do it again. But no, unless he had some secret girlfriend, the Agreste boy was a free agent. So why wasn’t he falling for her charms? Was it the whole Ladybug incident? That certainly put a damper on things but Lila was sure she should still have _some_ effect on him. He was a teenage boy! Teenage boys are supposed to be hormonal horndogs. It was what made them so easy to use and manipulate. So what made this one different?

Pausing with her hand on the handle of the cafeteria doors, Lila thought back on her past interactions with the boy. She was at least eighty four percent sure he wasn’t gay… so there had to be some other indicator as to why he shied away from her when she got a bit handsy. Like a ton of bricks, it suddenly hit her. The only time she had ever really held Adrien’s attention… was when she was talking about _Ladybug_ . That was it! That was the missing link! Adrien Agreste was in love with Ladybug. This was simply too perfect to be true. All she had to do was convince him that _she_ was really Ladybug. It would be hard, after lying and saying that she was a descendent of the Fox Heroine, Volpina, and with Ladybug interrupting them and all… but she could manage. She was Lila Rossi, after all! She had been taking acting lessons since she was a small child, ever since she began to dream of life as a movie star. All the world was her stage, she simply had to use all of the skills she possessed to convince her intended audience that she wasn’t the liar he thought she was. This would be her greatest challenge, and her greatest triumph, yet. But first, she needed to deal with Dupain-Cheng. She needed to sew the seeds of mistrust in the sheep that stupid little girl called friends. And she knew just the way to do it.

Tightening her hand on the door handle, Lila pushed through the door and into the crowded cafeteria, a ragged sob escaping her. The Cafeteria went silent as she hurried past the crowded tables, and she could feel the stares of the other students as she rushed by. Being the center of attention always sent a thrill down her spine and it took a lot of effort not to smile in delight, but she managed. With a perfectly timed wail, Lila threw herself back into her seat and buried her face in her arms, shoulders shaking with what the other students thought were great sobs, but was actually silent laughter. Immediately a half dozen hands were rubbing her back soothingly, voices clambering over one another in their effort to find out what was wrong. This was almost too easy. Lila had learned long ago that students were like mindless sheep. Flock mentality was probably even stronger than pack mentality and it was laughable how easy it was to gain their trust and admiration when they thought she was one of them. She was a real wolf in sheep’s clothing and they didn’t even realize it.

“Lila, what’s wrong?” Rose asked in worry.

“Do I need to kick someone’s butt?” Kim and Alix asked together.

“Girl, you have to talk to us,” Alya said.

“Yeah, dudette. Let us help,” Nino added. Lila sniffled loudly and lifted her tear streaked face, shaking her head in denial.

“No, no. I don’t want to cause more trouble than I already have,” she denied quickly.

“Trouble? You haven’t caused any trouble. We all love having you here,” Alya said with a reassuring smile. Lila returned the smile with a watery one of her own. She had this group pegged the moment she had walked into the classroom the first time. Marinette was the girl everyone took for granted. They acted like they all appreciated her and cared for her, but at the end of the day, they would find it only too easy to discard her. To get rid of Marinette, all she had to do was go through Alya. Alya was the bold, outspoken friend who was obsessed with finding out the truth. And yet, how easily she devoured Lila’s lies. How easy it would be to turn her on her best friend and with her, the rest would follow like the flock of sheep they were.

“N-not everyone,” she whimpered, wiping at her tears. It was fortunate that she always made sure to wear waterproof makeup or she would be a mess of runny mascara right now.

“Girl, if someone’s bothering you, just say the word and we’ll take care of it,” Alya vowed, a dark and protective look coming over her face.

“It… it’s… it’s Marinette,” Lila finally blurted out before immediately bursting into a new round of sobs. The table went deathly silent and she could sense the looks being exchanged over her head, but she didn’t drop the act. Not yet.

“Marinette? What about her?” Rose finally broke the silence tentatively.

“Did she say something to you?” Kim asked harshly.

“Sh-she… she threatened me. I… I think she’s jealous,” Lila admitted, wiping her tears away once more to blink guilelessly up at the students surrounding her. “I think she’s mad that I’m sitting next to Adrien, and that you all are paying attention to me and not her,” she admitted. The other students exchanged looks, the seeds of doubt already sewn by Marinette herself.

“That… that doesn’t sound like Marinette,” Rose began hesitantly.

“But- she has been acting weird since Lila arrived,” Mylene hedged.

“Yeah, she has been weirdly hostile to Lila all day,” Kim agreed.

“By my calculations, there is a 99.9% chance that Lila is right and Marinette is jealous of the attention being directed away from her,” Max offered, adjusting his glasses.

“Hey, this is Marinette we’re talking about. She’ll come around,” Alya tried to defend her best friend, but Lila could see the doubt stirring within her hazel eyes and she seized upon it.

“I don’t want to speak badly about anyone, but-” she trailed off and lifted her wrist. The class gasped at the handprint shaped bruise on the girl’s wrist. There were perks to bruising easily; it made selling her stories all the easier. “I just don’t feel safe with her here… maybe I should just go back to Achu,” she said, bottom lip quivering and eyes filling with tears once more. There was a beat of shocked silence before the other students exploded in chatter.

“That is so not cool!”

“I can’t believe she would do something like that!”

“Do you need to go to the nurse, Lila?”

“I’ll talk to Marinette; set her straight.”

“I’ll go with you; that’s seriously messed up.”

Lila hid her smile behind one hand as the flock played right into her bright orange talons. They were so easy to trick and manipulate; Marinette would regret the day she had ever messed with Lila Rossi. Dropping her hand, she offered a weak, watery smile at the other students. “You guys are all so nice! If you could just talk to Marinette, convince her to leave me alone, I would be so grateful! All I want is to be friends with-”

Lila never got to finish what she was going to say because in that moment, the double doors of the cafeteria exploded inward. Students shrieked in fear and confusion, most of them diving for cover beneath the tables. When the dust settled, they hesitantly peaked out to find the cause of the explosion. Lila sat up slowly, rubbing her head where she had bumped it on the way down and turned to scowl at whatever had caused her the minor nuisance, but the expression froze on her face as she took in the girl, the Akuma, floating in the newly destroyed entrance of the cafeteria. The whole room became deadly silent.

The Akuma was eerily beautiful in her dark blue, black, and red outfit. The colors stood out starkly against ghostly pale skin, her blood red eyes almost perfectly matching the red lipstick that painted a mouth pulled back into a feral snarl. From behind the Akuma stepped a blood red knight, his armor shiny and his chest plate adorned with the same broken heart symbol that the Akuma wore… except the heart was black instead of red and was missing the crown. The knight stepped forward and cleared his throat, despite the room being so quiet one could have heard a pin drop.

“Hear ye, hear ye! I am the Red Knight, Chief of Lady Fairytale’s army. Lady Fairytale seeks the fox with the silver tongue; the one called _Lila_ . Hand her over, and you are free to go. Defy her Ladyship and you will _all_ suffer her might,” the Knight announced. Lila blinked fearfully as she ducked further down, sharing alarmed looks with her new classmates. The Akuma was here for her!? What had she done!? From behind the Akuma who had yet to speak so far, more knights spilled into the Cafeteria, immediately blocking off the exits. These knights wore all black armor, the Akuma’s broken heart crest emblazoned on their chest plates in blood red. As soon as the exits were blocked, the Akuma drifted further into the room while the Red Knight took up sentry over the main exit. Blood red eyes shifted coldly over the cowering students and finally, she spoke.

“Fear not, little lambs,” she purred, a smile curving her lips that was more a baring of teeth than anything else. “Hand over the liar, Lila, and you are all free to go about your merry, insignificant lives. Now, which one of you would like to tell me where she is hiding, hmm?”

  
  
  
  


Luka Couffaine stared up at the familiar building of College Francoise Dupont, where his younger sister currently attended school. It wasn’t often that the sixteen year old found himself at her school in the middle of the afternoon. Normally he had his own classes to attend. But on this particular day Luka had been plagued by a song that just wouldn’t leave him be, and had opted to stay home with his mother’s blessing to work through his block. The unexpected day paid off. He had finished the melody far earlier than he would have expected and with the rest of the day free, had decided to surprise his sister at school by bringing her lunch. Granted, Juleka hadn’t actually _forgotten_ her lunch, but it was as good an excuse as any for the chance to catch a glimpse of a certain raven-haired beauty. Luka was well aware that Marinette had eyes on a certain blond model, and he was okay with that. Truly, he was. He mainly just wanted her to be happy. Even still, they had been hanging out more and more frequently as of late, especially now that Marinette had signed on as Kitty Section’s costume designer, and he figured that if he _did_ run into her, she wouldn’t be too put off by his presence. And if she was, he would leave.

Walking up to the main building now, he wondered where everyone was. Maybe it was different with Juleka’s school, but at his own Lycee there were often throngs of students loitering out front during lunch period. Perhaps College Francoise Dupont required students to eat in the building if they remained on school property? Who knew, but stepping inside the courtyard was also completely devoid of life and that gave him a moment’s pause. No students, no faculty. The halls were just deathly silent. His footsteps seemed to echo and bounce off the walls around him as he walked, crossing the basketball court that dominated the center of the room before pausing to look around. He had never actually been to Juleka’s school during lunch and had hoped he would run into another student who could point him in the right direction. That didn’t seem likely now, though, and a quick glance at his phone confirmed Juleka hadn’t even read his message yet. Huh. Glancing from left to right, he debated which way to go when footsteps suddenly approached from a hall that sat just off to the right of the stairs leading to the second floor.

Luka strained to see who was approaching, but the lights in the hall seemed to have been turned off and it wasn’t until the person stepped out of the darkness that he was able to truly take them in. A kid in what appeared to be full body armor. A theatre kid? Rose hadn’t mentioned a school play (she was a closet theatre nerd) but maybe she hadn’t had the time. They had been pretty busy setting up a set list for an upcoming gig and working closely with Marinette to get their costumes designed so she could make them in time. The Knight hadn’t spotted him yet so Luka stepped forward and lifted one hand in greeting. “Hey, can you tell me how to get to the cafeteria? I’m a little lost,” he called, jogging forward to meet the kid. The Knight snapped to attention at his voice and Luka suddenly pulled up short as a long, very real looking sword was gone and leveled at his chest.

“Halt. Who goes there,” the Knight demanded, jabbing the sword forward slightly and forcing Luka a step back. He held his hands up in surprise.

“Uh… Luka Couffaine?” He said, glancing over his shoulder as more footsteps rapidly approached. Three more Knights appeared, hands on the hilts of their swords as they surrounded him.

“State your business, stranger,” the first Knight ordered, poking at his chest with the tip of his sword. It was surprisingly sharp for something being used in a school theatre program.

“Um… I am here to see my sister?” He hedged, fingers curling around the strap of his guitar as he took a step back. The three Knights behind him crowded closer still, circling him and blocking all avenues of escape.

“You are trespassing in the Kingdom of Lady Fairytale. Come quietly, or else,” the first Knight ordered.

“Maybe I should just go-” Luka broke off as three more swords were drawn, sharp tips hovering uncomfortably close to his person and immediately he deflated. “Or I can go with you.”


	4. The Name of the Game

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This marks the final pre written chapter I am keeping which means longer wait times between chapters.
> 
> I am open to suggestions on Fairytales you wish to see and who you wish to be featured in those stories. Drop a comment if you have a suggestion and those I choose will get a shoutout!

Chat Noir leaped onto the railing surrounding the second floor of College Francoise Dupont, green eyes narrowing as he took in the empty courtyard below him. The whole school seemed eerily quiet and vacant. The Akuma had  _ just _ been here. How could she have disappeared so quickly and where was everyone else? Had she already used her powers on them? And if she had, just what  _ were _ her powers? The possibilities were technically endless and that didn’t sit well with Chat. He normally didn’t hesitate to dive into action headfirst without worrying about the consequences, but the way Plagg had acted before transforming, what Plagg had said, made him hesitant to just dive headfirst into a potential sticky situation the way he usually did. There was something different about this Akuma. He didn’t know what it was (yet) but he was going to figure out what he was dealing with before taking any action for once. First things first, he needed to find his Lady. Hopefully she had heard about the Akuma and was already enroute.

Turning away, Chat Noir returned to the locker room where he hoped the Akuma wouldn’t bother poking around since she had already been there, and pulled out his baton. He quickly hit his partner’s icon. Lifting the weapon/communication device to his human ear, he listened to the ringtone buzz on the other line several times before clicking over to voicemail with a friendly, ‘You’ve reached Ladybug. Leave a message and I’ll get back to you soon!’ Chat growled quietly in frustration and started speaking the moment the beep indicated that it was now recording. “LB, there’s an Akuma at Francoise Dupont and something about her seems off; I need you to get here asap,” he said before finally ending the call and sighing. That hadn’t exactly gone according to plan, but no matter. He would make do regardless. He could scout around, find the Akuma, and watch her from afar and when his Lady  _ did _ arrive, he would be able to give her the lowdown on Hawkmoth’s latest victim. Decision made up, Chat Noir turned to the windows that sat high up the walls of the locker room, but before he could move to leap onto the ledge of one, a tiny voice called out to him from the direction of the bathrooms.

“Chat Noir, wait!” Chat turned automatically, expecting to find a girl hiding from the Akuma, but there was no one there. He blinked, momentarily wondering if he had been hit on his head with rubble when Fairytale blew up the locker room door, but then the voice came again. “Are you alone? No one else can be allowed to see me!”

“Um… yes?” Chat said, making a show of looking around the room to confirm that yes, he was alone aside from the disembodied, unusually high pitched voice speaking to him. Suddenly, a cloud of pink and white sparkles burst to life before his eyes and another  _ Kwami _ materialized before him. The leather-clad hero blinked in shock. He… hadn’t been expecting that. The Kwami looked thoroughly distressed, more so than Plagg had, her wide blue eyes full of worry. She was a cute little thing, bright red all over with big blue eyes and a big black spot on top of her head. Almost like a little… suddenly, Chat was just as alarmed as the Kwami looked. “You’re- you’re-”

“Ladybug’s Kwami, yes,” the little creature sighed, her face falling as she zipped up closer to the cat-themed hero. It was then Chat noticed that she was holding something between her little paws; a pair of earrings that were solid black and eerily familiar, even without the magic imbuing them. She was holding… her Miraculous.

“Where’s Ladybug?” Chat managed to choke out, fear and dread filling him as his imagination ran away with him. He could only imagine all the horrible things that could have befallen his Lady for her Kwami to show up before him with the Miraculous in tow, but in all his wild imaginings never could he have imagined the words that escaped her mouth. 

“She’s been akumatized, Chat. I tried to help her, but in the end she made me take the Miraculous and go,” Tikki whispered, deflating. Chat Noir held out a hand automatically for the Kwami and she gratefully settled upon his leather-clad hand. She looked exhausted, pale, and shaky.

“Hey, are you okay? You don’t look so good,” he fretted, his mind still mostly worried about his Lady, but a small part of him realizing that the Kwami didn’t look quite right. In fact, she looked like she was about to be sick, her pallor paling and her antenna and eyelids drooping.

“Ladybug and I are bonded, Chat. Even when she is not wearing her Miraculous, she and I are two parts of a whole, just as you and Plagg are. I can feel her pain, her fear,” she whispered, a fine quiver starting up in her body and causing her to practically vibrate in his hands. “It’s not like with the other Akuma Victims; because she is Ladybug, she is aware of what she is doing but she has no control over her body or her actions. It’s like… it’s like being paralyzed; watching the world go by without her and being unable to do or say anything. She’s so scared, Chat,” she whimpered.

“To make matters worse, Kwami shouldn’t be able to manifest outside of their Miraculous after a bond is established, unless the wearer is actually  _ wearing _ the Miraculous. If the Miraculous is taken off, we are supposed to disappear. Plagg and I can manage for a short amount of time if our bond is strong enough with our chosen, but it is extremely hard to maintain,” she explained, and Chat couldn’t be positive but he was sure she was even paler than when she had first started explaining. She looked more pink than red now, and her black spots looked more like a charcoal gray.

“What happens if you stay outside of your Miraculous too long?” He asked, half worried she was going to die and Ladybug would blame him for killing her Kwami. Perhaps sensing the direction of his thoughts, the Ladybug Kwami smiled weakly.

“Nothing permanent, I assure you, but I can’t promise I will be able to maintain a physical form for much longer before I must return to my Miraculous,” she said.

“So what do I have to do? Ladybug can’t purify the Akuma if she’s Akumatized,” he said, worried as she faded more still. It seemed like a struggle now for the Kwami to keep her eyes open but she was obviously trying to focus on the conversation.

“Y-you must… find me a temporary Wielder. Someone you trust, someone who is st-strong of heart,” she wheezed, struggling to get the words out. “The Akuma is in her left hair ribbon. Break that, free the Akuma, and have my temporary Wielder purify it.”

“Can’t I wield you temporarily? Isn’t it dangerous to just hand you over to someone else?” The cat themed hero fretted.

“No!” The force of Tikki’s conviction was startling, especially considering how weak she was. “No, wielding the cat and ladybug at the same time can have dire consequences. People  _ die _ when our Miraculous are fused,” she explained, so pale no she was almost transparent.

“Okay. Okay I’ll find you a Wielder, um…”

“It’s Tikki,” the Kwami gave a weak laugh and flashed the boy a knowing smile, “and fear not, Adrien. Ladybug trusts you. More than you realize. I know you are capable of the task before you. Have faith in yourself, and bring her back to us,” she said gently, floating shakily up to place a reassuring paw on his nose. Chat Noir blinked, and in a burst of sparkles the Kwami winked out of existence. When he looked down, the Ladybug Earrings lay in his hand, now red with black spots as Tikki’s magic filled them. Closing his hand around the Miraculous, Chat Noir took a shaky breath. This… was a lot to take in. Not only did he have to find a temporary Wielder for the Ladybug Miraculous, today might be the day he found out his Lady’s identity. It was also the first time he would be taking on a mission without Ladybug’s guidance or creative flair since Evillustrator. It was a bit daunting, but he knew he had to do it. For his Lady’s sake. The faster he got the Akumatized item away from her, the faster he could free her from whatever hell she was locked in. With that thought in mind, Chat shoved her Miraculous into his pocket and zipped it securely before vaulting onto the window sill and slipping out into the midday sunlight.

  
  
  


“Marinette!?”

Fairytale sighed irritably and crossed her arms, pouting like a petulant child as her red gaze shifted from the room at large to focus on her former best friend. The aspiring journalist was standing up beside the tables they had previously been sitting at, hazel eyes wide with shock and horror as she stared at her. The Akuma’s lips twisted into a sneer as her gaze raked over the other students crouched around the table, none of them bold enough to stand up the way Alya had. She easily picked out her classmates, all staring at her with varying degrees of fear and horror, and among them, Lila Rossi was attempting to disappear into the tile beneath their feet. Fairytale smirked and waved one hand lazily, beckoning her Red Knight to her side.

“Beloved pet, see to it that the rest of the flock is escorted out of my domain, but ensure the students at that table remain. We’re going to play a little game,” she purred. The knight snapped out a quick salute and turned on his heels, the other knights immediately following his cues and herding the other students out of the cafeteria. When the room was empty save for the Akuma, her minions, and her chosen victims, Fairytale allowed a smile to play upon her lips.

“Alya, my former best friend. So nice to hear that you still recall my former name,” she cooed, drawing closer to the table. The students rose and tried to back away, but they were immediately seized and held into place by the black knights. The Akuma tsked and shook her head. “Leaving so soon? But the party has just begun! You’ll hurt my feelings if you leave now,” she exclaimed, pressing a hand to her chest and affecting an injured look. Only Alya stood her ground, a look of betrayal on her face.

“Marinette, why are you doing this? This isn’t you. You can’t let your jealousy guide your actions like this.You of all people should know better; there’s a reason Adrien called you our everyday Ladybug,” Alya tried to reason, stepping closer and raising her hands in a placating gesture towards the akuma. Fairytale’s gaze suddenly turned hard and flinty as she refocused on the girl.

“Marinette is  _ dead _ . My name is Fairytale and you have a lot of nerve saying that to me,” she snarled, her face suddenly shifting into something dark and twisted and so unlike the sweet, friendly girl they all knew and loved. “Where was your faith in your  _ everyday ladybug _ when I tried to show you the truth? Where was your trust in your  _ best friend _ , Alya?” She growled. Alya took a step back, shrinking away from the force of the Akuma’s anger, and suddenly she and the others didn’t look so sure of themselves.

“All I wanted was for you to  _ trust _ me, Alya. To fact check Lila the way you tried to fact check me. Did my friendship mean so little to you?” She snapped, advancing on the frozen fifteen-year-old who now looked completely ashen. Fairytale shifted her gaze away from the girl to rake over the others, all of which looked similarly hesitant.

“Marinette was a poor sap to trust all of you. For years, she has bent over backward to help you as you used and abused her generosity, and how do you repay her? By tossing her aside like yesterday’s trash. Well, now Marinette is dead and reborn as  _ me _ and I will not make the same mistake that she did,” the Akuma continued, floating closer to the group of captive students. She paused beside Rose, her red eyes thoughtful as she stared down into the petite girl’s wide blue gaze. Rose’s lip quivered and under the weight of the Akuma’s gaze, she suddenly burst into tears. Fairytale arched a brow before moving on. When she came to the end of the line of students, she opened her mouth but before she could say anything else the doors open and four black knights marched in, a young man between them.

“You’re Ladyship,” the four knights immediately dropped a knee and bowed their heads before rising, the leader grabbing the boy roughly and yanking him forward. “We caught this boy lurking in the courtyard. Shall we release him with the others?”

Fairytale shook her head, a beautific smile curving her lips as she beckoned him closer and shot a sharp, predatory glance towards Rose and Juleka. “Nonsense. Let him join his sister in our little… game. After all, the more players the better,” she purred as Luka was shoved unceremoniously into line.

“What sort of game,” Rose whispered, clinging to Juleka as she peeked up at the Akuma. Fairytale seemed pleased with the attention, flitting back a few steps so she could take them all in properly.

“The lot of you are going to play a game with me,” she announced, gaze roaming over each student in turn before coming to a halt at long last on Lila with a cold smile. “I promise, it will be a lot of fun,’ she snickered, leaning closer to Italian.

“What kind of a game?” The silver-tongued vixen reiterated Rose’s question. She sounded scared. That pleased Fairytale greatly, knowing that she was the one causing the girl’s fear.

“The fun kind. The kind where I come out the winner,” the akuma bounced back suddenly, clapping her hands and grinning widely with a gleeful smile. “Are you all ready to play with me?”

“Wait! Don’t we get to know the rules first?” Nino yelped from his place in line.

“Forget that! I don’t want to play your creepy games. Let us go!” Kim snapped, struggling against his captive’s hold. Fairytale narrowed her snake-like eyes and gave a nearly imperceptible nod to the red knight, who immediately stepped forward and forced the protester to his knees. Kim struggled violently, but he was no match against the supernatural strength of the Akuma’s minions. Tsking softly, Fairytale approached the boy with a shake of her head.

“Now, Kim, that isn’t how you play the game. You have to cooperate! If you don’t, well… my pets don’t like it when people defy their Queen,” she said with a girlish giggle. As if to prove her point, the red knight drew his sword and held the blade against the male student’s throat, hard enough to prove he meant business but not hard enough to draw blood.

“Shall I dispatch the naysayer, Lady Fairytale? It would be an honor to do so in your name,” he offered. 

“Now, now, that hardly seems necessary just yet. Come now, let him up,” Fairytale giggled, shaking her head lightly as if this were all just one big game to her. The knight immediately released Kim and stepped back in line as the student rubbed the angry red mark at his throat and glared up at the Akuma.

“You crazy freak, let us go before your minions kill someone!” He snapped.

“Now, Kim, you must abide by the rules if you don’t want to be hurt,” she admonished lightly as the student picked himself up.

“So what exactly  _ are _ these rules you speak of,” a new voice interrupted, prompting the group to turn their eyes heavenward. A figure descended from the skylight overhead, slithering down a silver baton to come to a halt in the center of the cafeteria. Fairytale turned to blink at the newcomer in surprise before a delighted grin lit up her face.

“Kitty! You came to play, too? I’m so glad,” she cheered, bouncing up and down and clapping her hands gleefully. The leather-clad hero looked momentarily thrown-off before his expression returned to one of supreme confidence.

“I’m always up for a game, little lady. So tell me, what  _ is _ this game you want us to play, hmm?” He drawled, shortening his staff so that it was the perfect height for him to lean casually against. The Akuma beamed.

“Well, the game is quite simple, really. Each of you will be zapped into your own Fairytale! Some of you might end up in multiple Fairytales, some of you will be grouped together. Either way, you must all work your way through my storybook. If you make it through  _ all _ the fairytales, you win. But if you fail to escape my book, you get to remain as part of my stories forever and ever and ever!” She said excitedly. A wave of her scepter and a giant tomb suddenly appeared on the table beside her. The cover was purple, the edges and spine gold. There was no title on the front of the book; only the Akuma’s signature crest with the crown over the left side of the broken heart.

“Hmm, that sounds fun. Might I suggest a board game instead? Or perhaps a rousing game if Uno?” Chat Noir asked, green cat eyes shifting to her left pigtail. Before him, the Akuma visibly deflated, pouting as she blinked up at the hero with hurt in her wide red eyes.

“You don’t want to play with me, Kitty?” She asked, bottom lip jutting out as she pouted at him. The hero hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably as the Akuma continued. “But I worked so hard on this game and I really wanted all of you to play  _ with _ me. It won’t be fun if I have to play it all by myself. You won’t make me play it by myself, will you Kitty?”

“Look, Fairytale… how about a compromise,” Chat Noir hedged, not sure how to handle this version of his Lady and hoping to diffuse the situation before it escalated. So far, the Akuma seemed to have no ill will towards him  _ or _ his civilian form. Perhaps he could use that against her!

“A compromise?” She echoed curiously, the distress on her face suddenly morphing to interest. “What kind of a compromise?”

“What if you give me the ribbon in your left pigtail, as a token to your  _ favorite _ Knight, and I’ll play your game in return,” he offered hopefully. Fairytale seemed to consider his offer, fingers toying idly with the end of her left pigtail.

“Hmm, what about if I give you my right ribbon instead?” She offered hopefully. Chat Noir shook his head.

“It has to be the left ribbon,” he said firmly. Fairytale rocked back and forth on her heels as she considered this.

“How do I know you won’t break my ribbon and end my game before it can begin?” She asked hesitantly.

“You have my word, little Lady. I will play your game,  _ if _ you hand over the ribbon,” he lied, holding out his hand expectantly.

“Are you lying to me, Kitty?” Fairytale’s eyes narrowed, locking onto his, and suddenly Chat Noir knew he had screwed up. The friendliness and playfulness drained from the Akuma’s face until she was glaring at him accusingly. “You know, I am getting really,  _ really _ , sick of liars,” she spat, her hand tightening on her scepter.

“No, don’t!” Chat Noir lunged at the Akuma, claws at the ready to slice through the hair ribbons, but Fairytale was faster.

“Too late, Kitten,” she purred, lifting the scepter between them. The ruby orb atop the scepter suddenly started to burn brightly with an eerie light, the light growing rapidly to encompass everyone in the Cafeteria. There was a moment when all Chat Noir could see was red, like when you closed your eyes and looked towards the sun… and then the red was replaced with never ending blackness and the hero lost consciousness.

**Author's Note:**

> Lemme Know What You Think


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